US20120153122A1 - Imaging Array With Separate Charge Storage Capacitor Layer - Google Patents
Imaging Array With Separate Charge Storage Capacitor Layer Download PDFInfo
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- US20120153122A1 US20120153122A1 US12/968,811 US96881110A US2012153122A1 US 20120153122 A1 US20120153122 A1 US 20120153122A1 US 96881110 A US96881110 A US 96881110A US 2012153122 A1 US2012153122 A1 US 2012153122A1
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
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- G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G05D23/00—Control of temperature
- G05D23/19—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means
- G05D23/20—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature
- G05D23/2033—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature details of the sensing element
- G05D23/2036—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature details of the sensing element the sensing element being a dielectric of a capacitor
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/14—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation
- H01L27/144—Devices controlled by radiation
- H01L27/146—Imager structures
- H01L27/14665—Imagers using a photoconductor layer
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J1/00—Photometry, e.g. photographic exposure meter
- G01J1/42—Photometry, e.g. photographic exposure meter using electric radiation detectors
- G01J1/44—Electric circuits
- G01J1/46—Electric circuits using a capacitor
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to imaging arrays, and more particularly to structures and fabrication methods suitable for large-area high-density imaging arrays.
- a conventional imaging array comprises an array of pixels, each of which includes a photodetector and the input circuit of a “readout IC” (ROIC) which contains both a capacitor which stores the charge generated by the photodetector in response to light, and electrical circuitry to convey the charge from the photodiode to the capacitor and from the capacitor to further processing circuitry of the ROIC.
- the ROIC and charge storage capacitors are typically fabricated together using an electronic circuit process, such as CMOS, with the size of each charge storage capacitor limited in part by the size of each pixel and the complexity of the circuit.
- a high-density imaging array is needed.
- a higher density array requires that the pixel size be small.
- a significant limitation is encountered when attempting to scale to smaller pixel size, in that a smaller pixel necessitates a smaller charge storage capacitor, which serves to reduce the amount of charge that can be stored.
- This has an adverse effect on the array's sensitivity, typically reflected in the “noise equivalent differential temperature” (NEDT) value, which is a measure of the lowest signal flux level that can be detected by the array.
- the NEDT value might be lowered by making the charge storage capacitors larger, but this would consume circuit area that might otherwise be used to increase circuit functionality.
- An imaging array with a separate charge storage capacitor layer is presented which overcomes the problems noted above, enabling the fabrication of large format, small pixel imaging arrays with high sensitivity.
- the present imaging array comprises a photodetector layer, a ROIC layer, and a charge storage capacitor layer which is distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers; the layers are electrically interconnected to form the array.
- the capacitors within the charge storage capacitor layer are preferably micromachined; a vertical capacitor comprising a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin-film coatings is preferred.
- the charge storage capacitor layer is an interposer layer positioned between the photodetector and ROIC layers and electrically connected to the ROIC layer; the interposer layer would typically include at least one via arranged to enable a signal to be conveyed between the photodetector and ROIC layers.
- the charge storage capacitor layer can be an outer layer, typically positioned below the photodetector and ROIC layers and electrically connected to the ROIC layer.
- the layers of the array are preferably physically distinct from each other, with an interconnection means provided to electrically interconnect the layers as needed to form the array. This enables the charge storage capacitor, detector, and ROIC layers to be fabricated separately. Alternatively, the detector layer may be fabricated as part of the ROIC layer.
- FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are simplified sectional views of two possible structures for an imaging array per the present invention.
- FIG. 2 a is a perspective view of a micromachined capacitor for a single pixel cell as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention.
- FIG. 2 b is a perspective view of an array of micromachined capacitors as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention.
- FIGS. 3 a - 3 r are cross-sectional views illustrating the fabrication of an imaging array per the present invention for the configuration of FIG. 1 a in which the charge storage capacitor layer is an interposer layer between the photodetector layer and ROIC.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a micromachined charge storage capacitor as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention for the configuration of FIG. lb in which the charge storage capacitor layer is an outermost layer.
- the present imaging array comprises a photodetector layer, an ROIC layer, and a charge storage capacitor layer which is distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers.
- the layers are electrically interconnected to form an imaging array. Making the charge storage capacitor layer distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers facilitates increasing the amount of capacitance that can be provided in a given area. This also enables each of the layers to be fabricated separately, using process steps best-suited to each, which can potentially improve device yield.
- FIGS. 1 a and 1 b Simplified sectional views of two possible imaging array configurations are shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b .
- Each configuration includes a photodetector layer 10 , an ROIC layer 12 , and a charge storage capacitor layer 14 .
- Photodetector layer 10 would typically comprise numerous photodiodes 16
- charge storage capacitor layer 14 would typically comprise numerous capacitors 18
- ROIC layer 12 would typically comprise a metering circuit—preferably a direct injection transistor 20 —between each photodiode and charge storage capacitor, and a switch 22 between each charge storage capacitor and a pixel column busline 24 ; each pixel of the array would typically include one of each of these components.
- a metering circuit preferably a direct injection transistor 20 —between each photodiode and charge storage capacitor, and a switch 22 between each charge storage capacitor and a pixel column busline 24 ; each pixel of the array would typically include one of each of these components.
- charge storage capacitor layer 14 is an interposer layer positioned between photodetector layer 10 and ROIC layer 12 , and is electrically connected to the ROIC layer.
- a through-wafer via 26 would typically be formed through charge storage capacitor layer 14 to convey the signal generated by photodiode 16 to ROIC layer 12 .
- SFD source follower per detector
- BDI buffered direct injection
- CTIA charge transimpedance amplifier
- charge storage capacitor layer 14 is an outer layer, positioned below photodetector layer 10 and ROIC layer 12 and electrically connected to the ROIC layer.
- One advantage of this configuration is that, with the ROIC layer directly below the photodetector layer, the need for a via through charge storage capacitor layer 14 is eliminated.
- the capacitors in the charge storage capacitor layer are preferably micromachined; a vertical capacitor comprising a base material having a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin films is preferred.
- An exemplary embodiment of such a capacitor is shown in FIG. 2 a for a single pixel cell.
- This capacitor is preferably etched into the base material layer, with the metal-insulating-metal coatings sequentially deposited on the etched surfaces to form the capacitor.
- Multiple capacitor layers could be stacked and bonded together in tandem to increase the unit cell capacitance without increasing area, should that be desired.
- a via 30 could be provided through the center of each capacitor if charge storage capacitor layer 14 is an interposer layer and conductive paths through the layer are needed.
- Charge storage capacitor layer 14 would typically comprise an array of micromachined capacitors, as illustrated in FIG. 2 b .
- Micromachined capacitors of this sort are preferred as they provide more capacitance per unit area than conventional planar capacitors by using the vertical direction to add surface area without increasing the lateral size of the ROIC or detector, as well as by the use of thin and high electrical permittivity dielectrics potentially incompatible with the ROIC process, thereby enabling the array's NEDT value to be lower than it would be otherwise.
- This capability makes the present array structure particularly well-suited for infrared imaging array applications. Through-wafer vias and micromachined capacitors suitable for use with the present imaging array are described, for example, in co-pending patent application Ser. Nos. 11/800,098, 12/217,217, 12/291,263 and TBD (from not-yet-filed 2008-170), all of which have been assigned to the present assignee.
- the detector, charge storage capacitor, and ROIC layers are preferably parallel to and aligned vertically with each other, with an interconnection means provided to electrically interconnect the layers as needed to form an imaging array.
- the interconnections between layers can be effected with, for example, solder bumps, indium columns, or metal-metal thermocompression bonding, as well as other methods known to those familiar with IC interconnection techniques. Any of these interconnection means may also serve as a means of bonding the layers together mechanically.
- an imaging array as described herein provides a number of advantages.
- an array's charge storage capacitors are fabricated along with its ROIC circuitry.
- the charge storage capacitor, detector and ROIC layers of the present array may be physically distinct from each other, which enables them to be fabricated separately. This allows the layers to be screened separately and before being assembled into an imaging array, thereby improving yield.
- This modular approach also enables changes to any of the ROIC, detector or capacitor layers to be easily accommodated.
- this approach allows the use of processes which are suited to each of the separate detector, ROIC, or capacitor technologies, but which may be incompatible with the technologies of the other layers. Note that it is not essential that the detector and ROIC layers be fabricated separately; the detector layer may alternatively be fabricated as part of the ROIC layer.
- removing the charge storage capacitors from the ROIC as described herein frees up circuit area on the ROIC layer that can be used to enhance circuit functionality.
- fabricating micromachined capacitors on a dedicated charge storage capacitor layer makes it possible to make the pixels very small, thereby enabling the production of large-area high-density arrays.
- a very small pixel size may also enable imaging through scattering media such as dust and sand.
- the increase in capacitance per unit area can also serve to increase the array's sensitivity.
- the photodetector layer suitably comprises a compound or alloy which includes Hg, Zn, Cd, Mn, S, Se and Te, a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes Pb, Sn, S, Se and Te, or a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes Al, Ga, In, Tl, N, As, Sb, Bi, or a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes C, Si and Ge, and superlattice structured materials.
- the charge storage capacitor layer suitably comprises a silicon base material with selected thin film coatings
- the ROIC layer is suitably a Si-based circuit, such as a CMOS circuit.
- the charge storage capacitor layer's base material may be highly conductive, such as a metal or heavily doped conducting semiconductor, to act both as the base material and as the first conducting layer of the metal-insulating-metal capacitor. This may provide some advantage in process simplification and capacitor density.
- the micromachined layer may be a highly-doped semiconductor and the capacitor to be that of the depletion region of a Schottky-barrier diode deposited on the semiconductor, in which case the capacitor can be formed with a single deposition of the Schottky barrier metal on the micromachined layer.
- the present imaging array is suitably formed by fabricating the photodetector, ROIC, and charge storage capacitor layers separately, and then electrically interconnecting the layers.
- Fabricating the charge storage capacitor layer preferably comprises fabricating a plurality of micromachined vertical capacitors, each of which comprises a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin-film coatings.
- FIGS. 3 a - 3 r depict the detailed steps required to form the charge storage capacitor layer, which in this embodiment is an interposer layer.
- the charge storage capacitor layer preferably begins as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate 50 , in which the portion above the insulator 52 will serve as a device layer 54 , and the portion below the insulator will serve as a handle layer 56 .
- SOI silicon-on-insulator
- a layer of oxide 58 is grown on device layer 54 , which is patterned and etched to provide the periodic oxide areas 60 shown in FIG. 3 c .
- the areas between oxide areas 60 are patterned and etched as shown in FIG. 3 d , to form cavities which, with subsequent processing, will become through-wafer vias ( 62 ) and vertical capacitors ( 64 ).
- the cavities are preferably formed by dry etching, preferably using a deep reactive ion etching process (“DRIE”) such as a time-sequenced etch/passivation chemistry well known to those skilled in the art of MEMS and semiconductor processing.
- DRIE deep reactive ion etching process
- the oxide in areas 60 is removed in FIG. 3 e , and a new oxide layer 66 is grown over the entire device layer surface in FIG. 3 f.
- a first coating layer of a conductive material 68 is deposited over oxide layer 66 , including within the via and capacitor openings.
- Gaps 70 are formed in conductive material layer 68 in FIG. 3 h , for the purpose of providing electrical isolation between capacitors and vias. This is followed by the deposition of an insulator coating layer 72 over the top surface, including within the via and capacitor openings ( FIG. 3 i ).
- Insulator coating layer 72 is patterned and etched as shown in FIG. 3 j , for the purpose of exposing the metal coating in the via region. Then, in FIG. 3 k , a second conductive material coating layer 76 is deposited over the top surface, including within the via and capacitor openings. Unneeded portions of conductive material coating layer 76 are removed in FIG. 31 , and contacts 80 for providing electrical connections to the through-wafer vias and capacitors, and to a separate ROIC layer, are formed in FIG. 3 m . As noted above, contacts 80 can take the form of, for example, pin-in-socket interconnects, solder bumps, indium columns, or metal-metal thermocompression bonds. In FIG. 3 n , the contacts 82 of an ROIC layer 84 are bonded with those ( 80 ) of device layer 54 . The handle layer 56 is then removed, resulting in the structure shown in FIG. 3 o.
- FIG. 3 p access openings 88 are etched into the bottom side of device layer 54 to provide access to vias 62 .
- Contacts 90 for providing electrical connections to the bottom side of vias 62 , and to a separate detector layer, are formed in FIG. 3 q , and in FIG. 3 r , the contacts 92 of a detector layer 94 are bonded with contacts 90 , thereby completing the fabrication of the imaging array structure.
- FIG. 4 A cross-sectional view of one possible embodiment of such a charge storage capacitor layer is shown in FIG. 4 .
- the capacitor is formed on a silicon substrate 100 , and consists of metal layers 102 and 104 separated by a dielectric layer 106 .
- a first ‘high’ contact 108 provides a conductive path to metal layer 104 and a second ‘ground’ contact 110 provides a conductive path to metal layer 102 ; there would typically be one ‘high’ contact per pixel, and one ‘ground’ contact per array.
- the structure preferably also includes insulator 112 and adhesion 114 layers, as well as isolation gaps 116 between adjacent pixels.
- the insulator coating is preferably deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD), such that it is electrically insulating, continuous and substantially conformal.
- ALD atomic layer deposition
- Preferred materials for the insulator layer include oxides of hafnium, tantalum, aluminum, and silicon, both alone and in combinations.
- the conductive material coatings are also preferably deposited using ALD, such that they are electrically continuous across the length of the through-wafer via and capacitor cavities in which they are deposited.
- the conductive material is preferably chosen from a group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, tungsten, iridium, copper, titanium nitride or zinc oxide.
- ALD is a gas phase chemical process used to create thin film coatings that are highly conformal and have extremely precise thickness control.
- ALD ALD deposition
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates generally to imaging arrays, and more particularly to structures and fabrication methods suitable for large-area high-density imaging arrays.
- A conventional imaging array comprises an array of pixels, each of which includes a photodetector and the input circuit of a “readout IC” (ROIC) which contains both a capacitor which stores the charge generated by the photodetector in response to light, and electrical circuitry to convey the charge from the photodiode to the capacitor and from the capacitor to further processing circuitry of the ROIC. The ROIC and charge storage capacitors are typically fabricated together using an electronic circuit process, such as CMOS, with the size of each charge storage capacitor limited in part by the size of each pixel and the complexity of the circuit.
- Problems may arise when a high-density imaging array is needed. A higher density array requires that the pixel size be small. However, a significant limitation is encountered when attempting to scale to smaller pixel size, in that a smaller pixel necessitates a smaller charge storage capacitor, which serves to reduce the amount of charge that can be stored. This has an adverse effect on the array's sensitivity, typically reflected in the “noise equivalent differential temperature” (NEDT) value, which is a measure of the lowest signal flux level that can be detected by the array. The NEDT value might be lowered by making the charge storage capacitors larger, but this would consume circuit area that might otherwise be used to increase circuit functionality. These factors combine to impede the realization of high performance (low NEDT), high-functionality imaging arrays with small pixel pitch.
- An imaging array with a separate charge storage capacitor layer is presented which overcomes the problems noted above, enabling the fabrication of large format, small pixel imaging arrays with high sensitivity.
- The present imaging array comprises a photodetector layer, a ROIC layer, and a charge storage capacitor layer which is distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers; the layers are electrically interconnected to form the array. The capacitors within the charge storage capacitor layer are preferably micromachined; a vertical capacitor comprising a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin-film coatings is preferred.
- The layers of the array are preferably parallel to and aligned vertically with each other. In one embodiment, the charge storage capacitor layer is an interposer layer positioned between the photodetector and ROIC layers and electrically connected to the ROIC layer; the interposer layer would typically include at least one via arranged to enable a signal to be conveyed between the photodetector and ROIC layers. Alternatively, the charge storage capacitor layer can be an outer layer, typically positioned below the photodetector and ROIC layers and electrically connected to the ROIC layer.
- The layers of the array are preferably physically distinct from each other, with an interconnection means provided to electrically interconnect the layers as needed to form the array. This enables the charge storage capacitor, detector, and ROIC layers to be fabricated separately. Alternatively, the detector layer may be fabricated as part of the ROIC layer.
- These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.
- The detailed description of embodiments of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts in the figures.
-
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are simplified sectional views of two possible structures for an imaging array per the present invention. -
FIG. 2 a is a perspective view of a micromachined capacitor for a single pixel cell as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention. -
FIG. 2 b is a perspective view of an array of micromachined capacitors as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention. -
FIGS. 3 a-3 r are cross-sectional views illustrating the fabrication of an imaging array per the present invention for the configuration ofFIG. 1 a in which the charge storage capacitor layer is an interposer layer between the photodetector layer and ROIC. -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a micromachined charge storage capacitor as might be used with an imaging array per the present invention for the configuration of FIG. lb in which the charge storage capacitor layer is an outermost layer. - The present imaging array comprises a photodetector layer, an ROIC layer, and a charge storage capacitor layer which is distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers. The layers are electrically interconnected to form an imaging array. Making the charge storage capacitor layer distinct from the photodetector and ROIC layers facilitates increasing the amount of capacitance that can be provided in a given area. This also enables each of the layers to be fabricated separately, using process steps best-suited to each, which can potentially improve device yield.
- Simplified sectional views of two possible imaging array configurations are shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b. Each configuration includes a
photodetector layer 10, anROIC layer 12, and a chargestorage capacitor layer 14.Photodetector layer 10 would typically comprisenumerous photodiodes 16, chargestorage capacitor layer 14 would typically comprisenumerous capacitors 18, andROIC layer 12 would typically comprise a metering circuit—preferably adirect injection transistor 20—between each photodiode and charge storage capacitor, and aswitch 22 between each charge storage capacitor and apixel column busline 24; each pixel of the array would typically include one of each of these components. InFIG. 1 a, chargestorage capacitor layer 14 is an interposer layer positioned betweenphotodetector layer 10 andROIC layer 12, and is electrically connected to the ROIC layer. In this configuration, a through-wafer via 26 would typically be formed through chargestorage capacitor layer 14 to convey the signal generated byphotodiode 16 toROIC layer 12. While a simple direct injection-style input circuit is shown here, any of the variety of input circuits that are commonly used in ROIC applications—such as a source follower per detector (SFD), buffered direct injection (BDI), or charge transimpedance amplifier (CTIA)—could also be employed. - An alternative configuration is shown in
FIG. 1 b. Here, chargestorage capacitor layer 14 is an outer layer, positioned belowphotodetector layer 10 andROIC layer 12 and electrically connected to the ROIC layer. One advantage of this configuration is that, with the ROIC layer directly below the photodetector layer, the need for a via through chargestorage capacitor layer 14 is eliminated. - The capacitors in the charge storage capacitor layer are preferably micromachined; a vertical capacitor comprising a base material having a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin films is preferred. An exemplary embodiment of such a capacitor is shown in
FIG. 2 a for a single pixel cell. This capacitor is preferably etched into the base material layer, with the metal-insulating-metal coatings sequentially deposited on the etched surfaces to form the capacitor. Multiple capacitor layers could be stacked and bonded together in tandem to increase the unit cell capacitance without increasing area, should that be desired. Avia 30 could be provided through the center of each capacitor if chargestorage capacitor layer 14 is an interposer layer and conductive paths through the layer are needed. Chargestorage capacitor layer 14 would typically comprise an array of micromachined capacitors, as illustrated inFIG. 2 b. Micromachined capacitors of this sort are preferred as they provide more capacitance per unit area than conventional planar capacitors by using the vertical direction to add surface area without increasing the lateral size of the ROIC or detector, as well as by the use of thin and high electrical permittivity dielectrics potentially incompatible with the ROIC process, thereby enabling the array's NEDT value to be lower than it would be otherwise. This capability makes the present array structure particularly well-suited for infrared imaging array applications. Through-wafer vias and micromachined capacitors suitable for use with the present imaging array are described, for example, in co-pending patent application Ser. Nos. 11/800,098, 12/217,217, 12/291,263 and TBD (from not-yet-filed 2008-170), all of which have been assigned to the present assignee. - The detector, charge storage capacitor, and ROIC layers are preferably parallel to and aligned vertically with each other, with an interconnection means provided to electrically interconnect the layers as needed to form an imaging array. The interconnections between layers can be effected with, for example, solder bumps, indium columns, or metal-metal thermocompression bonding, as well as other methods known to those familiar with IC interconnection techniques. Any of these interconnection means may also serve as a means of bonding the layers together mechanically.
- An imaging array as described herein provides a number of advantages. Conventionally, an array's charge storage capacitors are fabricated along with its ROIC circuitry. Here, however, the charge storage capacitor, detector and ROIC layers of the present array may be physically distinct from each other, which enables them to be fabricated separately. This allows the layers to be screened separately and before being assembled into an imaging array, thereby improving yield. This modular approach also enables changes to any of the ROIC, detector or capacitor layers to be easily accommodated. Furthermore, this approach allows the use of processes which are suited to each of the separate detector, ROIC, or capacitor technologies, but which may be incompatible with the technologies of the other layers. Note that it is not essential that the detector and ROIC layers be fabricated separately; the detector layer may alternatively be fabricated as part of the ROIC layer.
- Also note that removing the charge storage capacitors from the ROIC as described herein frees up circuit area on the ROIC layer that can be used to enhance circuit functionality. In addition, fabricating micromachined capacitors on a dedicated charge storage capacitor layer makes it possible to make the pixels very small, thereby enabling the production of large-area high-density arrays. A very small pixel size may also enable imaging through scattering media such as dust and sand. The increase in capacitance per unit area can also serve to increase the array's sensitivity.
- The photodetector layer suitably comprises a compound or alloy which includes Hg, Zn, Cd, Mn, S, Se and Te, a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes Pb, Sn, S, Se and Te, or a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes Al, Ga, In, Tl, N, As, Sb, Bi, or a compound or alloy selected from a group which includes C, Si and Ge, and superlattice structured materials. The charge storage capacitor layer suitably comprises a silicon base material with selected thin film coatings, and the ROIC layer is suitably a Si-based circuit, such as a CMOS circuit.
- Although undoped or lightly doped silicon will be the preferred base material for many applications, for some applications it may be desirable for the charge storage capacitor layer's base material to be highly conductive, such as a metal or heavily doped conducting semiconductor, to act both as the base material and as the first conducting layer of the metal-insulating-metal capacitor. This may provide some advantage in process simplification and capacitor density.
- For some applications it may be sufficient for the micromachined layer to be a highly-doped semiconductor and the capacitor to be that of the depletion region of a Schottky-barrier diode deposited on the semiconductor, in which case the capacitor can be formed with a single deposition of the Schottky barrier metal on the micromachined layer.
- The present imaging array is suitably formed by fabricating the photodetector, ROIC, and charge storage capacitor layers separately, and then electrically interconnecting the layers. Fabricating the charge storage capacitor layer preferably comprises fabricating a plurality of micromachined vertical capacitors, each of which comprises a microstructured surface coated with sequential conductive-insulating-conductive thin-film coatings.
- One possible sequence of process steps that might be employed to form an imaging array as described herein is shown in
FIGS. 3 a-3 r, which depict the detailed steps required to form the charge storage capacitor layer, which in this embodiment is an interposer layer. As shown inFIG. 3 a, the charge storage capacitor layer preferably begins as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)substrate 50, in which the portion above theinsulator 52 will serve as adevice layer 54, and the portion below the insulator will serve as ahandle layer 56. - In
FIG. 3 b, a layer ofoxide 58 is grown ondevice layer 54, which is patterned and etched to provide theperiodic oxide areas 60 shown inFIG. 3 c. The areas betweenoxide areas 60 are patterned and etched as shown inFIG. 3 d, to form cavities which, with subsequent processing, will become through-wafer vias (62) and vertical capacitors (64). The cavities are preferably formed by dry etching, preferably using a deep reactive ion etching process (“DRIE”) such as a time-sequenced etch/passivation chemistry well known to those skilled in the art of MEMS and semiconductor processing. The oxide inareas 60 is removed inFIG. 3 e, and a new oxide layer 66 is grown over the entire device layer surface inFIG. 3 f. - In
FIG. 3 g, a first coating layer of a conductive material 68 is deposited over oxide layer 66, including within the via and capacitor openings. Gaps 70 are formed in conductive material layer 68 inFIG. 3 h, for the purpose of providing electrical isolation between capacitors and vias. This is followed by the deposition of aninsulator coating layer 72 over the top surface, including within the via and capacitor openings (FIG. 3 i). -
Insulator coating layer 72 is patterned and etched as shown inFIG. 3 j, for the purpose of exposing the metal coating in the via region. Then, inFIG. 3 k, a second conductivematerial coating layer 76 is deposited over the top surface, including within the via and capacitor openings. Unneeded portions of conductivematerial coating layer 76 are removed inFIG. 31 , andcontacts 80 for providing electrical connections to the through-wafer vias and capacitors, and to a separate ROIC layer, are formed inFIG. 3 m. As noted above,contacts 80 can take the form of, for example, pin-in-socket interconnects, solder bumps, indium columns, or metal-metal thermocompression bonds. InFIG. 3 n, thecontacts 82 of anROIC layer 84 are bonded with those (80) ofdevice layer 54. Thehandle layer 56 is then removed, resulting in the structure shown inFIG. 3 o. - The backside of
device layer 54 is now processed for connection to a detector layer. InFIG. 3 p,access openings 88 are etched into the bottom side ofdevice layer 54 to provide access tovias 62.Contacts 90 for providing electrical connections to the bottom side ofvias 62, and to a separate detector layer, are formed inFIG. 3 q, and inFIG. 3 r, thecontacts 92 of adetector layer 94 are bonded withcontacts 90, thereby completing the fabrication of the imaging array structure. - A similar set of process steps would be employed if the charge storage capacitor layer is an outer layer instead of an interposer layer, except that no vias would need to be formed through the charge storage capacitor layer. A cross-sectional view of one possible embodiment of such a charge storage capacitor layer is shown in
FIG. 4 . The capacitor is formed on asilicon substrate 100, and consists ofmetal layers dielectric layer 106. A first ‘high’contact 108 provides a conductive path tometal layer 104 and a second ‘ground’contact 110 provides a conductive path tometal layer 102; there would typically be one ‘high’ contact per pixel, and one ‘ground’ contact per array. The structure preferably also includesinsulator 112 andadhesion 114 layers, as well asisolation gaps 116 between adjacent pixels. - The insulator coating is preferably deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD), such that it is electrically insulating, continuous and substantially conformal. Preferred materials for the insulator layer include oxides of hafnium, tantalum, aluminum, and silicon, both alone and in combinations. The conductive material coatings are also preferably deposited using ALD, such that they are electrically continuous across the length of the through-wafer via and capacitor cavities in which they are deposited. The conductive material is preferably chosen from a group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, tungsten, iridium, copper, titanium nitride or zinc oxide. ALD is a gas phase chemical process used to create thin film coatings that are highly conformal and have extremely precise thickness control. The majority of ALD reactions use two chemicals, typically called precursors. These precursors react with a surface one-at-a-time in a sequential manner. By exposing the precursors to the growth surface repeatedly, a thin film is deposited. Additional details about ALD can be found, for example, in “Surface Chemistry for Atomic Layer Growth”, S. M. George et al., J. Phys. Chem., Vol. 100, No. 31 (1996), pp. 13121-13131.
- The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (36)
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US20110228046A1 (en) * | 2010-03-16 | 2011-09-22 | Universal Electronics Inc. | System and method for facilitating configuration of a controlling device via a 3d sync signal |
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US20200168651A1 (en) * | 2018-11-27 | 2020-05-28 | Raytheon Company | Stacked sensor with integrated capacitors |
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